The internet did a lot to democratize marketplaces and extract substantial efficiencies from ongoing operations. Requiring only a minimal investment, anyone potentially could create a successful business, especially if they leveraged large distribution channels, such as Amazon or eBay. Yet for all the technological advances, many businesses still suffer from relatively high operating expenses due to the analog nature of existing infrastructure—a sensor can generate an alert that a pipe is leaking, but a maintenance worker has to do the rest. Entering such a traditional marketplace, with its high barriers to entry, would normally be fraught with risk.